Namaste

I love this word. It is so beautiful to say, and so peaceful. It is full of acceptance.  You have probably heard this word, as it is used in yoga practice.  It is also a common greeting in India.  Translated it means something like:
    “The God in me greets the God in you.
    The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit     in you.”   
In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all.

This to me sums up everything about what The Sacred Village means to us.  We want this to be a place where the spirits inside of each of us can acknowledge and embrace the spirits inside all of you, and vice versa.  We may not all have the same faith, and we may practice it very differently, but it makes them no less meaningful.

My faith is very different from that of my family, and my upbringing.  But that doesn’t take away from the respect I have for it, as it is part of my past. To me, the beliefs may now seem foreign and maybe even silly, but that doesn’t detract from the faith of the believers. 

My mother, for example, once told me that she believed we wouldn’t be together forever, because I am not of the same faith.  She didn’t say this to be mean or hurtful. She said it because she believes it to be true, and it makes her sad.  If she believes with all her heart that that is true, and didn’t even try to convert me back to her faith, then how much could she really love me? The fact that she reaches out to me is only a testament, not only to her faith, but to her love for me as well. 

We may look at each other like we are aliens at times because our differences are so significant on the surface. But if we allow the spirit inside of us to reach out and acknowledge the spirit in others, then we are all speaking the same language. 

Namaste